A little over 7 pounds, the tiny baby slept amid an army of beeping machines that monitored her vitals.
The machines – with all their flashing lights and steady hum – seemed powerful, but the baby draped under a pink blanket was strong.
Diagnosed in utero at 20 weeks with a congenital heart defect, her parents, Tara and Daniel, knew she'd need grit for the journey ahead, so they named her Azai – a Hebrew name that means strength.
"We had a plan in place, but until she was born, we didn't entirely know what to expect,” Tara said. “We tried to keep ourselves steady and calm as best we could. There's a lot of options when your child has a heart defect, but what gave me the biggest sense of relief was the care we received from Children's Health℠."
A combination of four heart defects
Azai was Tara and Daniel's second child (her sister, Maya, is four years older). They understood sleep and feeding. They knew about all the appointments and had most of the baby gear. But a health concern was not on their radar.
So when Tara's 20-week anatomy scan was longer than expected, and her obstetrician referred them to Children's Health, Tara was alarmed.
"There were a lot of hard nights of what ifs, but the care team at Children's Health calmed us down," Tara said. "The prenatal care that I received made me more confident that this team was the best to care for Azai once she was born."
Catherine Ikemba, M.D., Pediatric Cardiologist in The Heart Center at Children's Health and Professor at UT Southwestern, confirmed that Azai had tetralogy of Fallot – a combination of four heart defects that makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood. The condition usually requires surgery during the first year of life.
During pregnancy, Tara and Daniel had several appointments with Dr. Ikemba and Ryan Davies, M.D., Pediatric Cardiothoracic surgeon in The Heart Center at Children's Health and Professor at UT Southwestern, to monitor Azai's heart as it grew and put a plan together for her treatment. The team also taught Tara and Daniel about Azai's heart condition and how to care for her.
Declining oxygen levels
Tara's labor with Azai was short, giving birth to her a few days before Thanksgiving.
"Once I delivered her, I looked up and there was a room full of people, and I thought, 'OK, now it's time,'" Tara remembered. "They placed her on my chest for a little bit. My body wanted to be nervous, but my mind reminded me that we had a plan. There were 15 care team members in the delivery room for this baby."
Tara gave birth to Azai at UT Southwestern's Clements University Hospital – about one mile away from Children's Medical Center Dallas, where Azai would be cared for after birth.
Shortly after delivery, the Children's Health transport team rushed Azai to the Dallas campus so the clinical team could monitor her and determine next steps. But before leaving, they stopped by Tara's postpartum room for mom and baby to say goodbye.
"That act was small to them, but it was huge for me because I was nervous about her going to another place without me," Tara said. "I looked down at Azai. She was calm and so little. And she had these four guys around her to take her over, and they were smiling at me. I knew then that she was in good hands."
That first night, Tara was alone in her postpartum room, while Daniel went to the Dallas hospital to be with Azai. There, he watched as her oxygen levels fell – a sign that she would likely need surgery sooner rather than later.
The next day, Tara made her way to Children's Health to see Azai as the team was prepping her for surgery. Tara and Daniel cried as they held Azai, wishing she could have been a little older and stronger before surgery.
And at that moment, Azai's oxygen levels started to rise.
They rose enough for Dr. Davies to delay the surgery to a month later, giving Azai time to gain strength to make the surgery safer.
"They made a U-turn on a dime based on what was happening in that moment. Sometimes in health care you get stuck on what you previously decided," Daniel said. "But the team gave her a chance to fight for her own health."
A 6-hour surgery at 5 weeks old
Five weeks later, Azai had open heart surgery to close the hole in her heart between the pumping chambers and widen the pulmonary valve to allow for better blood flow from the heart to the lungs.
Our ability to perform these kinds of surgeries now is amazing,” said Dr. Davies. " It's an extraordinary team effort where we're all surrounding one tiny baby to close a hole that's a centimeter large – at most – and it takes all these people to do it well."
The six-hour surgery was a success and Azai was discharged from the hospital five days later.
Tara and Daniel did a victory dance as they left the hospital, where they lived for the first month of Azai's life.
They were giddy to begin their life as a family of four. And they also knew this was the start of an ongoing relationship with Children's Health and the team who watched over Azai, changed her diapers and rocked her to sleep during the first month of her life.
Now 3 years old, Azai receives annual check-ups from the team. She loves dressing up in sparkly princess dresses, watching cartoons and traveling to the beach.
"Our hope for Azai is for her to have a full life, to contribute to her community and to pay it forward," Tara said. "She's been given an extended chance at life thanks to Children's Health. We want her to take that opportunity and help other kids in the future."
Our hope for Azai is for her to have a full life, to contribute to her community and to pay it forward. She's been given an extended chance at life thanks to Children's Health. We want her to take that opportunity and help other kids in the future.
Paying it forward
Tara and Daniel decided to pay forward the expert care Azai received through two generous donations to Children's Health. Watch this inspiring video to learn why they chose to give back and what their contributions will support.
Learn more
The Heart Center at Children's Health provides expert and compassionate care for babies and children with a wide range of heart conditions. Our care has also expanded to include health counseling and screening for anxiety, depression and stress for expecting mothers at the Dallas and Plano campuses. Learn more about The Heart Center at Children's Health.
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